Vehicle Lane Changing Control Method, Device, Computer Equipment and Storage Medium

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a vehicle simulation control method, apparatus, computer device, and computer-readable storage medium, which can be applied to the field of autonomous driving and the field of intelligent transportation. The method includes: controlling a target virtual vehicle to travel on a first simulation lane in a simulation area, where the simulation area includes at least two simulation lanes in the same direction; calculating the duration experienced by the target virtual vehicle after the most recent lane change ends; in response to the duration reaching a first preset duration, determining whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied; and in the case where it is determined that the lane change control condition is satisfied, controlling the target virtual vehicle to change lanes from the first simulation lane to an adjacent second simulation lane. Through the method, the operation efficiency of the simulation can be improved while ensuring the simulation performance, so that the autonomous driving vehicle after simulation can better adapt to the intelligent transportation scenario, thereby improving the transportation efficiency and safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of autonomous driving simulation technology, and particularly to a method, an apparatus, a computer device, and a computer-readable storage medium for controlling vehicle lane changes in microscopic traffic simulation. Background Art

[0002] Nowadays, with the increasing development of artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence technology is more and more widely used in life, including its application in autonomous driving technology. Applying autonomous driving technology on actual roads can ensure a relatively high vehicle driving speed while ensuring vehicle driving safety.

[0003] In related technologies, in order to enable autonomous driving technology to maintain better performance during actual application, simulation experiments can be carried out in microscopic traffic simulation software (for example, TAD Sim) before actual application.

[0004] Therefore, a vehicle lane change control method that can improve the operation efficiency of the simulation and at the same time ensure the simulation performance is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method, an apparatus, a computer device, and a storage medium for controlling vehicle lane changes, which can provide a solution for simulating the control of lane changes of virtual vehicles in a computer device, improving the operation efficiency of the simulation and at the same time ensuring the simulation performance. The technical solution is as follows:

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle simulation control method is provided. The method includes: controlling a target virtual vehicle to travel on a first simulation lane in a simulation area, where the simulation area includes at least two simulation lanes in the same direction; calculating the duration experienced by the target virtual vehicle after the most recent lane change ends; in response to the duration reaching a first preset duration, determining whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied; and in the case where it is determined that the lane change control condition is satisfied, controlling the target virtual vehicle to change lanes from the first simulation lane to an adjacent second simulation lane.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle simulation control apparatus is also disclosed, including: a driving control module for controlling a target virtual vehicle to travel on a first simulation lane in a simulation area, where the simulation area includes at least two simulation lanes in the same direction; a timing module for calculating the duration experienced by the target virtual vehicle after the most recent lane change ends; a determination module for determining whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied in response to the duration reaching a first preset duration; and a lane change control module for controlling the target virtual vehicle to change lanes from the first simulation lane to an adjacent second simulation lane in the case where it is determined that the lane change control condition is satisfied.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the determination module is further configured to: when it is determined that the lane change control condition is not satisfied, repeatedly determine whether the lane change control condition is satisfied at a preset interval until a termination determination preset condition is reached or it is determined that the lane change control condition is satisfied, and when the termination determination preset condition has been reached, re-determine whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied after waiting for a second preset duration, where the second preset duration is the same as or different from the first preset duration, and the preset interval is less than or equal to the first preset duration and the second preset duration.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the determination module may include: an instruction determination sub-module configured to determine whether an instruction to control the target virtual vehicle to change lanes from the first simulation lane to the second simulation lane is received; and a distance determination sub-module configured to obtain a first distance between the target virtual vehicle and a leading vehicle in the second simulation lane and a second distance between the target virtual vehicle and a following vehicle in the second simulation lane, and determine whether the first distance is greater than a first preset safety distance and whether the second distance is greater than a second preset safety distance.

[0010] In a possible implementation, the termination determination preset condition includes one of the following: after a preset number of determinations, and it is determined that the lane change control condition is not satisfied in all cases; and the repeated determination of whether the lane change control condition is satisfied at a preset interval has elapsed for a third preset duration.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the vehicle simulation control device may further include a determination module, and the determination module includes: an aggressiveness determination sub-module for determining the aggressiveness corresponding to the target virtual vehicle; a lane change type determination sub-module for determining the lane change type according to the path planning, where the lane change type includes active lane change and passive lane change; and a duration determination sub-module for determining the first preset duration based on the aggressiveness and the lane change type.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the aggressiveness determination sub-module is configured to: obtain the virtual attributes of the target virtual vehicle, where the virtual attributes include at least one of the driver's reaction time, familiarity with the road conditions, psychological factors, age, gender, vehicle type, location area, and travel purpose; and determine the aggressiveness corresponding to the target virtual vehicle based on the virtual attributes of the target virtual vehicle.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the lane change type determination sub-module is configured to: determine whether the driving path for the target virtual vehicle to achieve the driving goal includes a specific location according to the path planning, where the specific location includes a diversion lane entrance, a turning intersection, or a U-turn position, and the target virtual vehicle must reach a corresponding specific location via a side simulation lane, where the side simulation lane is the same as or different from the first simulation lane; in the case of determining that the driving path does not include the specific location, determine the lane change type as an active lane change; and in the case of determining that the driving path includes the specific location, determine the lane change type of the lane change of the target virtual vehicle within a road section that is at a distance threshold from the specific location along the road direction as a passive lane change, and determine the lane change type of the lane change of the target virtual vehicle outside the road section along the road direction as an active lane change.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the duration determination sub-module is configured to: in the case where the lane change type is an active lane change, set the first preset duration in a negative correlation with the aggressiveness; and in the case where the lane change type is a passive lane change, determine the side simulation lane corresponding to the nearest specific location based on the path planning; in the case where the side simulation lane is different from the first simulation lane on which the target virtual vehicle is currently driving, determine the latest lane change points on the first simulation lane and each simulation lane between the first simulation lane and the side simulation lane; starting from the first simulation lane until changing lanes to the side simulation lane, for the simulation lane on which the target virtual vehicle is currently driving: determine the distance between the current position of the target virtual vehicle and the latest lane change point on the currently driven simulation lane; and update the current first preset duration in a negative correlation with the aggressiveness and the distance.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the vehicle simulation control device further includes a lane change cancellation module, and the lane change cancellation module includes: a monitoring sub-module, configured to continuously monitor the first distance between the target virtual vehicle and the leading vehicle in the second simulation lane and the second distance between the target virtual vehicle and the following vehicle in the second simulation lane during the lane change operation; a cancellation sub-module, configured to cancel the current lane change operation and control the target virtual vehicle to return to the first simulation lane before the lane change operation is executed in the case of monitoring at least one of the first distance being less than the first preset safety distance and the second distance being less than the second preset safety distance; and an indication sub-module, configured to indicate that the judgment module re-judges whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied after the time elapsed after controlling the target virtual vehicle to return to the first simulation lane before the lane change operation is executed reaches the fourth preset duration.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a computer device, which includes a processor and a memory. At least one instruction, at least one program, a code set or an instruction set is stored in the memory, and the at least one instruction, the at least one program, the code set or the instruction set is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the operations in each step of the vehicle simulation control method as described above.

[0017] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a computer-readable storage medium. At least one instruction, at least one program, a code set or an instruction set is stored in the storage medium, and the at least one instruction, the at least one program, the code set or the instruction set is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the vehicle simulation control method as described above.

[0018] The technical solution provided by the present disclosure may include the following beneficial effects:

[0019] In the solution shown in the embodiments of the present disclosure, a lane change cooling period with a first preset duration is introduced as the waiting time between consecutive lane changes of a vehicle. When the vehicle is in the lane change cooling period, the computer device does not make a decision on whether the vehicle changes lanes. Thus, when there are a large number of simulated vehicles, the operation efficiency can be greatly improved.

[0020] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and form a part of the specification, showing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and used together with the specification to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 1A-1B Schematic diagrams showing various lanes are presented.

[0023] Figure 1C Schematic diagram showing a vehicle control simulation platform according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is presented.

[0024] Figure 2 Schematic diagram showing the distances between vehicles on a simulation lane is presented.

[0025] Figure 3A-3C Schematic flow diagram showing a vehicle simulation control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is presented.

[0026] Figure 4A-4B and Figure 5 Schematic diagrams showing some scenarios during the vehicle simulation control process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are presented.

[0027] Figure 6Shows a control flow chart of vehicle simulation lane change control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 7 Shows a structural block diagram of a vehicle simulation control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 8 Shows a structural block diagram of a computer device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed implementation manners

[0030] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present disclosure more apparent, exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Apparently, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited by the exemplary embodiments described herein.

[0031] In this specification and the accompanying drawings, steps and elements having substantially the same or similar steps and elements are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and repeated descriptions of these steps and elements will be omitted. At the same time, in the description of the present disclosure, terms such as "first" and "second" are only used for differential description and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or order.

[0032] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to enable the autonomous driving technology to maintain better performance during actual application, a simulation experiment is carried out in a microscopic traffic simulation software (for example, TAD Sim) before actual application. For example, in actual operation, a driver may choose to change lanes in order to pursue a faster vehicle speed, a more free driving space, or to complete his normal driving purpose. Correspondingly, in the simulation system, it is necessary to simulate the driving behaviors of each simulated vehicle included in the simulation system to better serve the intelligent transportation system. When there are a large number of simulated vehicles in the simulation system, it is necessary to simulate the lane change behaviors of a large number of simulated vehicles. Correspondingly, a vehicle lane change control method that can improve the operation efficiency of the simulation and ensure the simulation performance at the same time is required.

[0033] Before describing the various embodiments of the present disclosure in detail, some terms that may be used in the context of the present disclosure are briefly explained first.

[0034] Distance: In this article, the distances mentioned are all distances based on the Frenet coordinate system. The distance between vehicles refers to the distance between the rear end of the front vehicle and the front end of the rear vehicle along the road direction.

[0035] Frenet Coordinate System: In the Frenet coordinate system, the centerline of the road is used as the reference line, and a coordinate system is established using the tangent vector t and the normal vector n of the reference line. With the vehicle itself as the origin, the coordinate axes are perpendicular to each other, divided into the s direction (i.e., along the direction of the reference line, usually referred to as the longitudinal direction, Longitudinal) and the d direction (i.e., the normal direction of the current reference line, referred to as the lateral direction, Lateral).

[0036] Main Lane: The lane in which the vehicle normally travels. In this disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the lanes mentioned are the main lanes, namely the first simulation lane, the second simulation lane, the side simulation lane, etc.

[0037] Auxiliary Lane: Also known as the service road, in this disclosure, it refers to an additional lane parallel to the outside of the main lane.

[0038] Transition Lane: In the case of exiting the highway, the transition lane is parallel to the main lane for a certain distance, and one end of the transition lane diverges from the main lane and the other end is connected to the ramp. In the case of divergence, one end of the transition lane diverges from the main lane and the other end is connected to the auxiliary lane.

[0039] Ramp: Also known as the access road, in this disclosure, it refers to the section of the highway used for exiting the highway and connected to one end of the auxiliary lane.

[0040] Diverging Lane: In this disclosure, it refers to the auxiliary lane or the ramp. The entrance of the diverging lane can refer to one end of the transition lane connected to the auxiliary lane or the ramp, and the other end of the transition lane is connected to the main road.

[0041] The definitions of the above various lanes can be referred to later Figure 1A-1B for better understanding.

[0042] Autopilot Technology: Usually includes technologies such as high-precision maps, environmental perception, behavior decision-making, path planning, and motion control. Autopilot technology has broad application prospects.

[0043] Simulation Technology: It is a simulation model technology that applies simulation hardware and simulation software through simulation experiments, with the help of certain numerical calculations and problem-solving to reflect the behavior or process of the system. Road traffic simulation is an important tool for studying complex traffic problems. Especially when a system is too complex to be described by a simple abstract mathematical model, the role of traffic simulation is even more prominent. Traffic simulation can clearly assist in analyzing and predicting traffic congestion areas and causes, comparing and evaluating relevant plans for urban planning, traffic engineering, and traffic management, and avoiding or being prepared before problems become reality.

[0044] With the research and progress of artificial intelligence technology, artificial intelligence technology has been studied and applied in multiple fields, such as common smart homes, smart wearable devices, virtual assistants, smart speakers, smart marketing, driverless, autonomous driving, drones, robots, smart healthcare, smart customer service, etc. It is believed that with the development of technology, artificial intelligence technology will be applied in more fields and play an increasingly important role.

[0045] The solution provided by this disclosure relates to technologies such as autonomous driving in artificial intelligence, and will be specifically described through the following embodiments:

[0046] Figure 1C FIG. shows a schematic diagram of a vehicle control simulation platform according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This vehicle control simulation platform is applied to a computer device 10, and the computer device 10 includes a database 11, simulation software 12, and a simulation result display window 13.

[0047] In a possible implementation, the simulation software 12 is a microscopic simulation software.

[0048] For example, the simulation software 12 can be an autonomous driving simulation platform, such as TAD Sim.

[0049] Among them, the logical algorithm involved in this vehicle control simulation method is embedded in the simulation software 12 to achieve controlling the vehicle according to this logical algorithm through this simulation software.

[0050] Vehicle information and driver characteristics corresponding to each vehicle can be stored in the database 11. Among them, vehicle information and driver characteristics corresponding to each vehicle can be simulated data, or alternatively, actual data can be collected from the actual road by a data acquisition device and the actual data can be stored in the database 11.

[0051] The simulation result display window 13 can display the simulation result in text form, or alternatively, can simulate and display the simulation result in animation form.

[0052] By embedding a logical algorithm for controlling the vehicle to change lanes in the simulation software, as will be described later, the degree of fit between the simulation result and the actual situation can be improved. This logical algorithm can control the vehicle to change lanes, thereby enabling the process of controlling the vehicle to orderly enter the ramp and complete the diversion. Similarly, it can also be applied to the process of controlling the vehicle to change lanes on ordinary roads. In this disclosure, changing lanes only refers to changing lanes between adjacent simulation lanes in the same direction, that is, changing lanes in the straight-ahead direction, that is, changing from one straight lane to another adjacent straight lane.

[0053] In current microscopic traffic simulations, vehicle lane-changing behavior is mostly rule-based, i.e., a vehicle starts and completes a lane-changing process based on judgments of rules such as lane-changing intention and safety conditions. On the premise that the host vehicle has the intention to change lanes, the safety conditions that usually need to be considered include the distance G between the host vehicle and the leading vehicle TP in the target lane (the lane to which it wants to change lanes). TP and the distance G between the host vehicle and the following vehicle TR TR should be greater than a certain preset safety distance.

[0054] As Figure 2 shown, for the host vehicle (E) to change lanes from the current lane to the adjacent lane, the distance between the tail of the leading vehicle (TP) in the target lane and the head of the host vehicle is represented by G TP , and the corresponding preset safety distance is represented by G SP . Also, the distance between the head of the following vehicle (TR) in the target lane and the tail of the host vehicle is represented by G TR , and the corresponding preset safety distance is represented by G SR . Then, it is required that when G TP >G SP and G TR >G SR , the host vehicle can change lanes.

[0055] Figure 3A-3B FIG. shows a schematic flow diagram of a vehicle simulation control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This vehicle simulation control method can be executed by a computer device. Among them, the above computer device can be the computer device 10 shown above Figure 1C . As Figure 3A shown, the steps included in this vehicle simulation control method are as follows.

[0056] In step S310, control the target virtual vehicle to travel on the first simulation lane in the simulation area, where the simulation area includes at least two simulation lanes in the same direction.

[0057] Here, the simulation area can refer to a certain urban area or a certain road section on a highway.

[0058] In a possible implementation, the simulation lanes include the first simulation lane and the second simulation lane adjacent to the first simulation lane. The target virtual vehicle can be controlled to change lanes from the first simulation lane to the second simulation lane.

[0059] Among them, in addition to the target virtual vehicle, there is at least one virtual vehicle traveling in the same direction on the simulation lane.

[0060] In step S320, calculate the duration experienced by the target virtual vehicle after the most recent lane change ends.

[0061] During the driving process of the target virtual vehicle, it may need to change lanes multiple times. For example, in order to pursue a faster vehicle speed, a more free driving space, or to complete its normal driving purpose (such as getting off the ramp, diverging, or turning when driving on a highway, etc., which requires changing lanes to the side lane). The timing can start each time it is determined that a lane change is completed, so as to determine the duration elapsed after this lane change.

[0062] In step S330, in response to the duration reaching a first preset duration, it is determined whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied.

[0063] For example, the first preset duration can be used to specify the length of the lane change cooling period of the target virtual vehicle, that is, under the control of, for example, a computer device, during consecutive lane changes of the target virtual vehicle, this lane change cooling period should be set between every two lane changes, and during this lane change cooling period, the computer device does not judge whether to control the target virtual vehicle to change lanes. More details on how to determine the first preset duration for specifying the lane change cooling period will be described in more detail later.

[0064] Optionally, the lane change control condition can be considered from at least two aspects. For example, the willingness to change lanes and safety. Therefore, determining whether the lane change control condition is satisfied can include the following steps: determining whether an instruction to control the target virtual vehicle to change lanes from the first simulation lane to the second simulation lane is received; and obtaining a first distance between the target virtual vehicle and the leading vehicle in the second simulation lane and a second distance between the target virtual vehicle and the following vehicle in the second simulation lane, and determining whether the first distance is greater than a first preset safety distance and whether the second distance is greater than a second preset safety distance.

[0065] First, for the instruction to control the target virtual vehicle to change lanes, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, during the normal driving process of the target virtual vehicle, when the target virtual vehicle travels to a specified position, the computer device will receive an instruction to control the target virtual vehicle to change lanes to the second simulation lane.

[0066] For example, in a possible implementation, when the target virtual vehicle detects an obstacle in the driving direction of the current simulation lane, or detects congestion ahead in the current first simulation lane and needs to change lanes, the computer device will receive an instruction to control the target virtual vehicle to change lanes to the second simulation lane.

[0067] In another possible implementation, for a target virtual vehicle that needs to enter a transition lane from the main lane and then exit via a ramp (e.g., in the scenario of exiting a highway) or needs to enter a transition lane from the main lane to drive to an auxiliary lane to complete traffic diversion, the computer device obtains the position of the target virtual vehicle in real time, and also obtains in real time the distance along the road direction between the target virtual vehicle and the starting point of the transition lane (the obtained distance can also be the distance between the target virtual vehicle and the ending point of the transition lane (the connection point with the ramp entrance)) and the driving lane information. When the distance along the road direction between the target virtual vehicle and the starting point or the ending point of the transition lane obtained is a preset distance and the target virtual vehicle is not driving on the lane required to complete highway exit or traffic diversion, an instruction to control the target virtual vehicle to change lanes to the second simulation lane is received.

[0068] Of course, the above two implementation manners are only examples, and the computer device can also receive an instruction to control the target virtual vehicle to change lanes to the second simulation lane in other ways.

[0069] Secondly, for the above distance relationship reflecting safety, as described in the reference Figure 2 the first distance can be represented by G TP the first preset safety distance is represented by G SP the second distance is represented by G TR and the second preset safety distance is represented by G SR The computer device can obtain the values of the first distance G TP and the second distance G TR in real time, and when G TP > G SP and G TR > G SR it is determined that the target virtual vehicle can be controlled to change lanes from the first simulation lane to the second simulation lane; otherwise, even when a lane change instruction is received, the target virtual vehicle is not controlled to perform a lane change operation.

[0070] Optionally, the first preset safety distance G SP and the second preset safety distance G SR may not be fixed, but may be related to the speed of the target virtual vehicle or surrounding virtual vehicles (e.g., the leading vehicle and following vehicle on the simulation lane to which the lane change is desired), the yielding probability of surrounding relevant vehicles, etc. For example, if the speed of the leading vehicle on the simulation lane to which the target virtual vehicle desires to change lanes is relatively slow, the first preset safety distance G SPSet to a relatively large value. For another example, if it is determined that the yielding probability of the following vehicle on the simulated lane to which the target virtual vehicle expects to change lanes is relatively low (for example, the yielding probability can be determined negatively correlated with the aggressiveness of the driver driving the following vehicle), then the second preset safety distance G SR can be set to a relatively large value. Of course, the first preset safety distance G SP and the second preset safety distance G SR can also be related to other influencing factors, and the present disclosure does not limit this.

[0071] In step S340, when it is determined that the lane change control condition is satisfied, control the target virtual vehicle to change lanes from the first simulated lane to the second simulated lane.

[0072] That is, if the lane change control condition is satisfied, it indicates that, for example, a lane change instruction is received and the safety condition is also satisfied as described above. Therefore, the computer device can control the target virtual vehicle to perform a lane change operation.

[0073] In the vehicle simulation control method described above Figure 3A , a lane change cooling period with a first preset duration is introduced as the waiting time between consecutive lane changes of the vehicle. When the vehicle is in the lane change cooling period, the computer device does not make a lane change decision judgment for the vehicle. Thus, when there are a large number of simulated vehicles, the operation efficiency can be greatly improved. Optionally, if it is determined in step S330 that the lane change control condition is not satisfied, the vehicle simulation method may further include step S350 and step S360, as Figure 3B shown.

[0074] In step S350, repeatedly determine whether the lane change control condition is satisfied at a preset interval until a termination judgment preset condition is reached or it is determined that the lane change control condition is satisfied.

[0075] For example, if the computer device determines in step S330 that the lane change control condition is not satisfied, it is determined that the target virtual vehicle is in a state of being ready to change lanes at any time, and repeatedly determine whether the lane change control condition is satisfied at a preset interval. When it is determined that the lane change control condition has been satisfied, the target virtual vehicle can be controlled to start a lane change operation.

[0076] In addition, when the process of repeated determination reaches the termination determination preset condition, as described in step S360, in the case where the termination determination preset condition has been reached, the computer device waits for a second preset duration before re-determining whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied, and the second preset duration is the same as or different from the first preset duration, wherein the preset interval is less than or equal to the first preset duration and the second preset duration. In some embodiments, the preset interval may be in units of simulation steps and may include a preset number (e.g., 1) of simulation steps.

[0077] According to some embodiments, the termination determination preset condition includes one of the following: after a preset number of determinations, and it is determined that the lane change control condition is not satisfied in all of them; and the repeated determination of whether the lane change control condition is satisfied has passed a third preset duration indicating the maximum waiting time according to a preset interval. Optionally, the third preset duration may be negatively correlated with the aggressiveness level (as will be described later) corresponding to the target virtual vehicle, that is, if the aggressiveness level is higher, the third preset duration is shorter.

[0078] For example, when it is determined that the lane change control condition is not satisfied after a preset number of determinations or the repeated determination process has passed the third preset duration (e.g., the set maximum waiting time), it is no longer necessary to continue the determination, but to wait for the second preset duration and then start the determination again.

[0079] The second preset duration may be the same as the first preset duration, that is, when the termination determination preset condition is reached, the computer device re-enters the lane change cooling period, that is, the elapsed time is recalculated from this time, and when the calculated duration reaches the second preset duration (i.e., the first preset duration), it is re-determined whether the lane change control condition is satisfied. Of course, the second preset duration may also be set to any value greater than 0 according to the actual situation. Therefore, no lane change determination operation is performed within the second preset duration, which can also improve the simulation efficiency.

[0080] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first preset duration set for specifying the lane change cooling period may be fixed. At the same time, in some other embodiments, different drivers of the target virtual vehicle may have different driving habits, and different driving methods may also exist according to whether it is necessary to change lanes to complete the driving purpose. Therefore, the first preset duration may also be set separately for different drivers of the target virtual vehicle and the necessity of lane change, so that the differences in the lane change process caused by driver driving differences and the necessity of lane change can be considered in the simulation process, thereby reducing the difference between the simulation result and the actual application and improving the simulation performance.

[0081] Based on this, referring to Figure 3CTo further describe the schematic flow chart of the vehicle simulation control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4A-5 It shows a partial schematic diagram of the vehicle simulation control process.

[0082] As Figure 3C shown, the vehicle simulation control method may further include steps S301, S302, and step S303.

[0083] In step S301, determine the aggressiveness level corresponding to the target virtual vehicle.

[0084] The aggressiveness level corresponding to the target virtual vehicle can be determined according to at least one of the following two methods.

[0085] Method 1): The computer device obtains the virtual attributes of the target virtual vehicle, and based on the virtual attributes of the target virtual vehicle, sets the aggressiveness level corresponding to the target virtual vehicle.

[0086] Among them, the virtual attributes include at least one of the reaction time of the driver driving the target virtual vehicle, familiarity with the road conditions, psychological factors, age, gender, travel purpose, the vehicle type of the target virtual vehicle, and the simulation area where it is located (for example, city, district), etc.

[0087] For example, the faster the reaction time of the driver of the virtual vehicle, the more familiar with the road conditions, or the better the psychological quality, the greater the corresponding aggressiveness level should be; the vehicle type of the virtual vehicle is a convertible sports car, and the corresponding aggressiveness level should be set to be greater than the aggressiveness level value of the virtual vehicle with the vehicle type of a nanny car; when the age of the driver corresponding to the virtual vehicle is relatively young, the corresponding aggressiveness level value should be set to be greater than the aggressiveness level value of the driver with a relatively older age; when the gender of the driver corresponding to the virtual vehicle is male, the corresponding aggressiveness level value should be greater than the aggressiveness level value of the virtual vehicle with the driver's gender being female; when the area where the virtual vehicle is located is in a relatively congested area, the corresponding aggressiveness level value should be set to be less than the aggressiveness level value when the area is in a relatively empty area; when the travel purpose of the virtual vehicle is for tourism, the set aggressiveness level should be less than the aggressiveness level value when the travel purpose is to go to the hospital.

[0088] As an example rather than a limitation, the value of the aggressiveness level is a random floating-point number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 1, and it can be considered that when the aggressiveness level is 0, it represents that the driver of the virtual vehicle is the most conservative, and when the aggressiveness level is 1, it represents that the driver of the virtual vehicle is the most aggressive. Of course, other metrics can also be used to measure this aggressiveness level.

[0089] Method 2): The computer device randomly sets the aggressiveness level corresponding to the target virtual vehicle.

[0090] For example, before the simulation process, the computer device generates a random floating-point number Ai greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 1 for the i-th virtual vehicle. Similarly, it can be considered that when the aggressiveness level is 0, it represents that the driver of the virtual vehicle is the most conservative, and when the aggressiveness level is 1, it represents that the driver of the virtual vehicle is the most aggressive. The random number Ai is set as the aggressiveness level corresponding to the i-th virtual vehicle. Similarly, the aggressiveness level set based on the virtual attributes of the target virtual vehicle can also be a floating-point number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 1.

[0091] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the value representing the aggressiveness level corresponding to the target virtual vehicle does not change with the running of the simulation. That is to say, once this value is set, it will remain fixed.

[0092] In step S302, the lane change type is determined according to the path planning, and the lane change type includes active lane change and passive lane change.

[0093] As described above, a lane change may be a lane change behavior that occurs in order to pursue a faster vehicle speed and a freer driving space. This lane change behavior is referred to as an active lane change in the present disclosure. In addition, a lane change may also be a lane change behavior that a vehicle must take to complete its normal driving purpose. This lane change behavior is referred to as a passive lane change in the present disclosure.

[0094] The computer device may store the path planning for the target virtual vehicle. For example, the driving route of the target virtual vehicle from the first location to the second location (including the roads to pass through, where to turn, where to get off, etc.).

[0095] The computer device can perform the following operations to determine the lane change type.

[0096] First, according to the path planning, it is determined whether the driving path for the target virtual vehicle to complete the driving goal includes a specific location, where the specific location includes the entrance of the diversion lane, the turning intersection, or the U-turn position, and the target virtual vehicle must reach the corresponding specific location via the side simulation lane. Wherein, the side simulation lane is the same as or different from the first simulation lane.

[0097] For example, the target virtual vehicle may have to reach the entrance of the diversion lane via the rightmost simulation lane to reach the turning intersection, and must make a U-turn at the U-turn position via the leftmost simulation lane.

[0098] The specific location as the entrance of the diversion lane can be associated with the transition lane. For example, the target virtual vehicle enters the auxiliary lane via the entrance of the diversion lane (the end point of the transition lane) to complete the diversion ( Figure 1B ) or enters the entrance of the diversion lane to facilitate entering the ramp ( Figure 1A) In the present disclosure, the transition lane associated with the diverging lane entrance is also referred to as the target simulation lane in the present disclosure. That is, the target virtual vehicle must finally enter the target simulation lane from the side simulation lane to complete the diverging or exiting the highway.

[0099] Then, when it is determined that the driving path does not include a specific location (i.e., it can reach the destination by only driving along one lane), the lane change type is determined to be an active lane change; and when it is determined that the driving path includes a specific location, the lane change type of the target virtual vehicle's lane change within a road section that is a distance threshold away from the specific location along the road direction is determined to be a passive lane change, and the lane change type of the target virtual vehicle's lane change outside the road section along the road direction is determined to be an active lane change.

[0100] The road section that is a distance threshold away from each specific location can be preset by the computer device.

[0101] For example, if the driving path has been determined and successively includes a right-turn intersection and a left-turn intersection, the computer device can preset a road section that is one kilometer away from the right-turn intersection along the road direction, and can preset a road section that is one kilometer away from the left-turn intersection along the road direction after a successful right turn, as Figure 4A shown by intervals A1 and A2. The lane change type of the target virtual vehicle within intervals A1 and A2 is a passive lane change, while in the remaining intervals, the lane change type is an active lane change. If it is determined based on the current position information of the target virtual vehicle that the target virtual vehicle enters intervals A1 and A2, the lane change type becomes a passive lane change.

[0102] In addition, the road section that is a distance threshold away from each specific location can also determine the lane change type to be a passive lane change according to the prompts obtained by the target virtual vehicle from the environmental information (such as ramp entrance signs, turning signs, speed limit signs, etc.) during the driving process.

[0103] For example, according to the path planning, the target virtual vehicle needs to exit from ramp B. When the computer device obtains the information "1KM away from the entrance of ramp B" from the ramp entrance sign via, for example, the acquisition device of the target virtual vehicle, the lane change type can be determined to be a passive lane change until it has successfully exited the ramp, and the lane change type in the section before receiving the prompt is an active lane change.

[0104] For example, based on path planning, it can be determined that the target virtual vehicle needs to drive in a straight line for a certain distance from the first location to the second location, and then exit from a specific ramp or turn right at a specific intersection. When the target virtual vehicle just departs from the first location, the lane-changing type of the target virtual vehicle can be determined as an active lane change, that is, the current lane change is not necessary until it is determined based on the current position of the target virtual vehicle that the target virtual vehicle needs to exit from the next ramp or turn right at the next intersection (for example, based on the current position of the target virtual vehicle, it is determined that the target virtual vehicle is only a preset distance away from the ramp or intersection) or the obtained environmental information includes a sign indicating the distance to the ramp or intersection, then the lane-changing type of the target virtual vehicle is determined as a passive lane change. Similarly, after the target virtual vehicle has successfully entered the ramp or successfully turned, if it is determined based on path planning that the target virtual vehicle only needs to go straight or is still relatively far from the next specific position, the lane-changing type can be switched back to an active lane change.

[0105] As Figure 4B shown, the target virtual vehicle goes from the first location to the second location. When the target virtual vehicle is driving in the first interval ds1, the computer device sets the lane-changing type of the target virtual vehicle as an active lane change, and starting from obtaining the information of the entrance of the ramp from which it needs to exit from point P (the P point is 1 KM away from the entrance of the ramp from which it needs to exit, and there is a sign at point P reminding of the distance of 1 KM to the entrance of the ramp), the computer device sets the lane-changing type of the target virtual vehicle as a passive lane change, and after driving a certain distance after successfully exiting (not shown), the lane-changing type can be switched back from a passive lane change to an active lane change.

[0106] In step S303, a first preset duration is determined based on the aggressiveness and the lane-changing type.

[0107] Optionally, in the case where the lane-changing type is an active lane change, the first preset duration is set negatively correlated with the aggressiveness. That is to say, if the aggressiveness corresponding to the target virtual vehicle is higher, the first preset duration is determined to be shorter. The first preset duration can be set as a function of the aggressiveness.

[0108] Optionally, when the lane-changing type is a passive lane change and the intervals in the road direction where the lane-changing type is determined as a passive lane change are preset by the computer device as described above, the first preset duration can also be set negatively correlated with the aggressiveness, and the latest lane-changing points on some lanes (as will be described later) also need to be considered.

[0109] Optionally, when the lane change type is a passive lane change and it is determined whether it is a passive lane change based on environmental information during driving, the target virtual vehicle needs to enter, for example, a transition lane, a lane after turning, etc. through a side simulation lane (generally the rightmost lane or the leftmost lane, which is collectively referred to as the side lane or the side simulation lane in this disclosure) to complete the driving goal. And if the target virtual vehicle is not currently driving on the side simulation lane, then the target virtual vehicle needs to change lanes to the side simulation lane so that it can enter, for example, a transition lane, a lane after turning, etc. In addition, when the target virtual vehicle needs to change lanes to be able to enter, for example, a transition lane, a lane after turning, etc., if the target virtual vehicle changes lanes too late, then even if it changes lanes to the side simulation lane, it may no longer be able to enter the transition lane, the lane after turning, etc. Therefore, when setting the first preset duration of the lane change cooling period, in addition to the aggressiveness corresponding to the target virtual vehicle, it should also be considered whether the lane change can be made in a timely manner.

[0110] Therefore, step S303 may include the following sub-steps.

[0111] First, determine the side simulation lane corresponding to the nearest specific position based on path planning.

[0112] Second, when the side simulation lane is different from the first simulation lane on which the target virtual vehicle is currently driving, determine the latest lane change points on the first simulation lane and each simulation lane between the first simulation lane and the side simulation lane.

[0113] For example, if the side simulation lane corresponding to the nearest specific position (the next specific position) is the same as the first simulation lane on which the target virtual vehicle is currently driving, that is, the target virtual vehicle can reach the specific position through the first simulation lane, then there is no need to change lanes for the target virtual vehicle (in this disclosure, a lane change only refers to a lane change between adjacent simulation lanes in the same direction, that is, a lane change in the straight-ahead direction, that is, changing from one straight lane to an adjacent straight lane).

[0114] If the first simulated lane is directly adjacent to the side simulated lane, the target virtual vehicle only needs to change lanes once to reach the side simulated lane and drive on it, so as to finally reach the nearest specific location. If the first simulated vehicle is not directly adjacent to the side simulated lane, that is, there is one or more other simulated lanes (intermediate simulated lanes) between the first simulated vehicle and the side simulated lane, the target virtual vehicle needs to change lanes at least twice to reach the side simulated lane and drive on it, so as to finally reach the nearest specific location. At the same time, it is necessary to determine the latest lane change points on the first simulated lane and each intermediate simulated lane relative to the side simulated lane. The latest lane change point can be understood as the latest position point when the target virtual vehicle starts to perform a lane change operation on the first simulated lane and each intermediate simulated lane to ensure a successful lane change to the side simulated lane corresponding to the nearest specific location. Optionally, the latest lane change point on each simulated lane can be determined based on at least one of the positional relationship (how many simulated lanes are separated) between the simulated lane and the side simulated lane corresponding to the nearest specific location and the average time required for the target virtual vehicle to change lanes.

[0115] Then, starting from the first simulated lane until changing lanes to the side simulated lane, for the simulated lane on which the target virtual vehicle is currently driving: determine the distance between the current position of the target virtual vehicle and the latest lane change point on the currently driven simulated lane; and update the current first preset duration in a manner negatively correlated with the aggressiveness and positively correlated with the distance.

[0116] Optionally, in the case where the lane change type is a passive lane change and the target virtual vehicle is driving on the same simulated lane, before controlling the target virtual vehicle to change lanes, the first preset duration can be determined and updated at a preset period, and the preset period can be set to be longer than the period for obtaining the current position, so that the first preset duration when driving on the same simulated lane does not need to be updated too frequently. For example, when the target virtual vehicle is driving on the first simulated lane, the period for obtaining its position information may be t1, and the sequence of position acquisition time points is t1, 2t1, 3t1,..., nt1, while the period for updating the first preset duration can be 3t1. Then, the distance may be determined and the first preset duration updated only using the position information obtained at the acquisition time points of 3t1, 6t1,.... Therefore, the frequency of updating the first preset duration can be reduced. After the target virtual vehicle changes lanes to the second simulated lane, if it still needs to change lanes to another simulated lane, before changing lanes again, the position acquisition and the first preset duration update can also be performed in the same way.

[0117] Optionally, the first preset duration can be a function of the aggressiveness and the distance. This function can be constructed in any form.

[0118] Furthermore, it is possible to make the first preset duration when the lane change type is passive lane change shorter than that when it is active lane change. That is, for the same target virtual vehicle, when the lane change type is passive lane change, the target virtual vehicle will be controlled with a shorter lane change cooling period to enable it to enter the target lane as soon as possible.

[0119] For example, Figure 5 shows a partial scenario schematic diagram when the computer device determines that the lane change type of the target virtual vehicle switches to passive lane change. As Figure 5 shown, there is a second simulation lane (Lane 2) between the first simulation lane (Lane 3) where the target virtual vehicle (A) is currently traveling and the side simulation lane (Lane 1). It can be seen that the target virtual vehicle needs to make two lane changes to enter the transition lane connected to the ramp for the next lane change, that is, from the first simulation lane (Lane 3) to the second simulation lane (Lane 2), and then from the second simulation lane (Lane 2) to the side simulation lane (Lane 1). Another example is that there is no simulation lane between the second simulation lane (Lane 2) where the target virtual vehicle (B) is currently traveling and the side simulation lane (Lane 1). It can be seen that the target virtual vehicle needs to make one lane change to enter the transition lane, that is, from the second simulation lane (Lane 2) to the side simulation lane (Lane 1).

[0120] The target virtual vehicle (A) needs to make a lane change before the first latest lane change point (P1) on the first simulation lane (Lane 3) where it is currently traveling to successfully complete two lane changes and finally enter the transition lane (to enter the ramp). The target virtual vehicle (B) is currently traveling on the second simulation lane (Lane 2), and it needs to make a lane change before the second latest lane change point (P2) to successfully complete one lane change and finally enter the transition lane.

[0121] For each target virtual vehicle, Figure 5Taking the target virtual vehicle (A) as an example, when the lane-changing type of the target virtual vehicle switches to passive lane-changing (for example, when a prompt indicating that there is still 1 km to the ramp entrance is recognized), the computer device can start to determine the distance between the current position of the target virtual vehicle and the first latest lane-changing point (P1) on the first simulated lane (Lane 3) where it is currently traveling, and update the first preset duration of the current lane-changing cooling period based on the aggressiveness level corresponding to the target virtual vehicle and this distance (for example, the current first preset duration may be the first preset duration of the lane-changing cooling period during the active lane-changing type), and store it for the next lane-changing cooling period. And as the distance from the first latest lane-changing point (P1) on the first simulated lane gets closer and closer, the previously stored first preset duration can be further updated. In addition, when the target virtual vehicle has changed lanes to the second simulated lane, the computer device can start to determine the distance between the current position of the target virtual vehicle and the second latest lane-changing point (P2) on the second simulated lane (Lane 2) where it is currently traveling, and further update the first preset duration of the current lane-changing cooling period based on the aggressiveness level corresponding to the target virtual vehicle and this distance, and store it. And as the distance from the second latest lane-changing point (P2) on the second simulated lane gets closer and closer, the stored first preset duration can be further updated.

[0122] That is to say, when setting the first preset duration of the specified lane-changing cooling period, a parameter corresponding to the aggressiveness level of the target virtual vehicle can also be introduced, and it is also taken into account whether it is an active lane change or a passive lane change. Therefore, during the simulation process, the differences in the lane-changing process that may be caused by driver driving differences and the necessity of lane changing can be considered, thereby reducing the difference between the simulation result and the actual application, and further improving the simulation performance.

[0123] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, if during the process of the computer device controlling the target virtual vehicle to change lanes from the first simulated lane to the second simulated lane, the following vehicle in the second simulated lane suddenly accelerates or the leading vehicle suddenly decelerates, resulting in the distance between the target virtual vehicle and the following vehicle and / or the leading vehicle being less than the preset safety distance, there will be a potential safety hazard.

[0124] Therefore, as Figure 3C shown, the vehicle simulation control method provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure may further include the following steps.

[0125] In step S304, during the lane-changing operation, continuously monitor the first distance between the target virtual vehicle and the leading vehicle in the second simulated lane and the second distance between the target virtual vehicle and the following vehicle in the second simulated lane.

[0126] For example, the computer device continuously obtains the first distance G TP and the second distance GTR the value, and determine whether G TP > G SP and G TR > G SR .

[0127] In step S305, when it is monitored that at least one of the first distance is less than the first preset safety distance and the second distance is less than the second preset safety distance, cancel the current lane change operation, and control the target virtual vehicle to return to the first simulation lane before the lane change operation is executed.

[0128] That is to say, if it is monitored that the safety condition is not satisfied, it means that continuing to change lanes at this time will be dangerous. Therefore, cancel the current lane change operation, and make the target virtual vehicle return to the first simulation lane before the lane change.

[0129] In step S306, after the time elapsed after controlling the target virtual vehicle to return to the first simulation lane before the lane change operation is executed reaches the fourth preset duration, re-determine whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied.

[0130] That is to say, after canceling the lane change operation, the computer device can control the target virtual vehicle to enter a lane change cancellation cooling period, which has a fourth preset duration. During this period, the judgment of the lane change control condition is not performed either, until the lane change cancellation cooling period has expired. In this way, it is not necessary to perform the above judgment at each simulation step, so the operation efficiency of the simulation can also be improved.

[0131] Combined with the foregoing, for a lane change type of passive lane change or active lane change, the computer device can differently set at least some of the parameters to be used in the process of controlling the target virtual vehicle to change lanes (for example, a first preset duration specifying the lane change cooling period, a third preset duration and a preset number of times specifying the maximum waiting time for repeatedly determining whether the lane change control condition is satisfied, and a fourth preset duration specifying the cancellation of the lane change cooling period). For example, for the same target virtual vehicle and the same corresponding aggressiveness, the first preset duration in the case of a passive lane change is shorter than the first preset duration in the case of an active lane change (that is, in the case of a passive lane change, it may be desired to change lanes as soon as possible to enter the lane required to complete the driving goal as soon as possible, such as a transition lane), the third preset duration in the case of a passive lane change is longer than the third preset duration in the case of an active lane change or the preset number of times in the case of a passive lane change is less than the preset number of times in the case of an active lane change (that is, in the case of a passive lane change, it may be desired to wait longer to judge the lane change to enter, for example, a transition lane as soon as possible), and the fourth preset duration in the case of a passive lane change is shorter than the fourth preset duration in the case of an active lane change (that is, in the case of a passive lane change, if the lane change operation is cancelled during the lane change operation, it may be desired to wait for a shorter time to re-judge the lane change to enter, for example, a transition lane as soon as possible). In this way, by differentially setting each parameter between the passive type and the active type, the actual scenario is better simulated, the difference between the simulation result and the actual application is reduced, and the simulation performance is thereby improved.

[0132] Figure 6 The flowchart of a vehicle simulation lane change control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0133] In step S601, the target virtual vehicle starts to drive or the lane change of the target virtual vehicle has just ended.

[0134] In step S602, the lane change type (active lane change or passive lane change) of the target virtual vehicle at this time is determined.

[0135] In step S603, the first preset duration for specifying the lane change cooling period is determined. As described above, the first preset duration can be set based on the lane change type and the aggressiveness corresponding to the target virtual vehicle (in the figure, the first preset duration corresponding to the active lane change is represented by Tcd1, and the first preset duration corresponding to the passive lane change is represented by Tcd2).

[0136] In step S604, it is judged whether the first preset duration (whether the lane change cooling period has ended) has elapsed since the target virtual vehicle started to drive or the last lane change ended, and if the first preset duration has not elapsed, the timing continues and the judgment is made.

[0137] If it is determined in step S602 that the lane change type of the target virtual vehicle is an active lane change and it is determined in step S604 that the lane change cooling period (Tcd1) has elapsed, then in step S605, it is determined whether the lane change control condition is satisfied. As described above, the lane change control condition may include two aspects: considering the lane change intention and the safety condition.

[0138] If it is determined in step S605 that the lane change control condition is satisfied, then in step S606, the lane change is initiated. During the lane change process, it is necessary to continuously determine whether the safety condition is satisfied to determine whether to cancel this lane change, as shown in step S607. If the safety condition is not satisfied during the lane change process, then in step S608, this lane change is cancelled and the vehicle returns to the lane before the lane change, and as shown in step S609, the cancellation lane change cooling period is initiated, that is, the timing starts again to determine whether the cancellation lane change cooling period with the fourth preset duration (denoted by Tc1) has elapsed, and after the end of this cancellation lane change cooling period, the operation of determining whether the lane change control is satisfied in step S605 is performed again. If the safety condition is satisfied during the lane change process, then the lane change operation is successfully completed, as shown in step S610.

[0139] If it is determined in step S605 that the lane change control condition is not satisfied, then in step S611, the target virtual vehicle is controlled to wait for the lane change, and it is repeatedly determined whether the lane change control condition is satisfied at a preset interval. If it is determined in step S611 that the lane change control condition is satisfied, then it proceeds to step S605. In step S612, it is determined whether the repeated determination process in step S611 satisfies the termination determination preset condition (a preset number of times have been performed or a third preset duration (the maximum waiting time, denoted by Tw1) has elapsed). If not, then step S611 is continued. If so, then this lane change is abandoned, as shown in step S613. After abandoning this lane change, as shown in step S614, it is possible to wait for the second preset duration (which may be equal to or different from the first preset duration of the lane change cooling period) to perform the operation of determining whether the lane change control is satisfied in step S605 again.

[0140] Similarly, if it is determined in step S602 that the lane change type of the target virtual vehicle is a passive lane change and it is determined in step S604 that the lane change cooling period (Tcd2) has elapsed, then in step S655, it is determined whether the lane change control condition is satisfied. As described above, the lane change control condition may include two aspects: considering the lane change intention and the safety condition.

[0141] If it is determined in step S655 that the lane change control condition is satisfied, then the lane change is initiated in step S656. During the lane change process, it is necessary to continuously determine whether the safety condition is satisfied to determine whether to cancel this lane change, as shown in step S657. If the safety condition is not satisfied during the lane change process, then in step S658, this lane change is cancelled and the vehicle returns to the lane it was traveling in before the lane change, and as shown in step S659, a cancellation lane change cooling period is initiated, that is, the timing restarts to determine whether the cancellation lane change cooling period with a fourth preset duration (denoted by Tc2) has elapsed, and after the end of this cancellation lane change cooling period, the operation of determining whether the lane change control is satisfied in step S655 is performed again. If the safety conditions are all satisfied during the lane change process, then this lane change operation is successfully completed, as shown in step S660.

[0142] If it is determined in step S655 that the lane change control condition is not satisfied, then in step S661, the target virtual vehicle is controlled to wait for a lane change, and it is repeatedly determined whether the lane change control condition is satisfied at a preset interval. If it is determined in step S661 that the lane change control condition is satisfied, then it goes to step S655. In step S662, it is determined whether the repeated determination process in step S661 has been performed a preset number of times or has lasted for a third preset duration (the maximum waiting time, denoted by Tw2). If the answer is no, then step S661 continues; if the answer is yes, then this lane change is abandoned, as shown in step S613. After abandoning this lane change, as shown in step S664, it is possible to wait for a second preset duration (which can be equal to or different from the first preset duration of the lane change cooling period) to perform the operation of determining whether the lane change control is satisfied in step S655 again.

[0143] Therefore, through the above reference Figure 3A-6The described vehicle simulation control method introduces a lane-changing cooling period with a first preset duration as the waiting time between consecutive lane changes of the vehicle. When the vehicle is in the lane-changing cooling period, the computer device does not make a decision on whether the vehicle should change lanes. Thus, when there are a large number of simulated vehicles, the computing efficiency can be greatly improved. In addition, by setting a maximum waiting time with a third preset duration, if the lane change does not start after this maximum waiting time, the lane change judgment can be abandoned and the vehicle can wait again (a second preset duration, which can be equal to the first preset duration), further improving the computing efficiency. Moreover, a cancel lane-changing cooling period with a fourth preset duration is introduced, which can also improve the operation efficiency of the simulation. At the same time, when setting time parameters such as the lane-changing cooling period, the maximum waiting time, and the cancel lane-changing cooling period, a parameter corresponding to the aggressiveness of the target virtual vehicle is introduced, and it is also considered whether it is an active lane change or a passive lane change. Thus, during the simulation process, the differences in the lane-changing process that may be caused by driver driving differences and the necessity of lane change can be taken into account, reducing the difference between the simulation results and the actual application, and thereby improving the simulation performance.

[0144] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle simulation control device is also provided. Figure 7 FIG. shows a structural block diagram of a vehicle simulation control device 700 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0145] The vehicle simulation control device 700 can be implemented as all or part of a computer device in a hardware or a combination of hardware and software manner to execute Figure 3A-3C all or part of the steps of the method shown in the corresponding embodiment.

[0146] The vehicle simulation control device 700 may include: a driving control module 710, configured to control a target virtual vehicle to travel on a first simulation lane in a simulation area, where the simulation area includes at least two simulation lanes in the same direction; a timing module 720, configured to calculate the duration experienced by the target virtual vehicle after the end of the most recent lane change; a judgment module 730, configured to judge whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied in response to the duration reaching a first preset duration; and a lane change control module 740, configured to control the target virtual vehicle to change lanes from the first simulation lane to an adjacent second simulation lane when it is judged that the lane change control condition is satisfied.

[0147] In a possible implementation, the determination module 730 may further be configured to: when it is determined that the lane change control condition is not satisfied, repeatedly determine whether the lane change control condition is satisfied at a preset interval until a termination determination preset condition is reached or it is determined that the lane change control condition is satisfied, and when the termination determination preset condition has been reached, re-determine whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied after waiting for a second preset duration, where the second preset duration is the same as or different from the first preset duration, and the preset interval is less than or equal to the first preset duration and the second preset duration.

[0148] In a possible implementation, the determination module 730 may include: an instruction determination sub-module configured to determine whether an instruction to control the target virtual vehicle to change lanes from the first simulation lane to the second simulation lane is received; and a distance determination sub-module configured to obtain a first distance between the target virtual vehicle and a leading vehicle in the second simulation lane and a second distance between the target virtual vehicle and a following vehicle in the second simulation lane, and determine whether the first distance is greater than a first preset safety distance and whether the second distance is greater than a second preset safety distance.

[0149] In a possible implementation, the termination determination preset condition includes one of the following: after a preset number of determinations, and it is determined that the lane change control condition is not satisfied in all of them; and the repeated determination of whether the lane change control condition is satisfied at a preset interval has elapsed for a third preset duration.

[0150] In a possible implementation, the vehicle simulation control device may further include a determination module 750, and the determination module 750 includes: an aggressiveness determination sub-module for determining the aggressiveness corresponding to the target virtual vehicle; a lane change type determination sub-module for determining the lane change type according to the path planning, where the lane change type includes an active lane change and a passive lane change; and a duration determination sub-module for determining the first preset duration based on the aggressiveness and the lane change type.

[0151] In a possible implementation, the aggressiveness determination sub-module is configured to: obtain the virtual attributes of the target virtual vehicle, where the virtual attributes include at least one of the driver's reaction time, familiarity with the road conditions, psychological factors, age, gender, vehicle type, location area, and travel purpose; and determine the aggressiveness corresponding to the target virtual vehicle based on the virtual attributes of the target virtual vehicle.

[0152] In a possible implementation, the lane change type determination sub-module is configured to: determine whether the driving path for the target virtual vehicle to achieve the driving goal includes a specific location according to the path planning, where the specific location includes a diverging lane entrance, a turning intersection, or a U-turn position, and the target virtual vehicle must reach a corresponding specific location via a side simulation lane, where the side simulation lane is the same as or different from the first simulation lane; in the case of determining that the driving path does not include the specific location, determine the lane change type as an active lane change; and in the case of determining that the driving path includes the specific location, determine the lane change type of the lane change of the target virtual vehicle within a road section that is at a distance threshold from the specific location along the road direction as a passive lane change, and determine the lane change type of the lane change of the target virtual vehicle outside the road section along the road direction as an active lane change.

[0153] In a possible implementation, the duration determination sub-module is configured to: in the case where the lane change type is an active lane change, set the first preset duration in a negative correlation with the aggressiveness; and in the case where the lane change type is a passive lane change, determine the side simulation lane corresponding to the nearest specific location based on the path planning; in the case where the side simulation lane is different from the first simulation lane on which the target virtual vehicle is currently driving, determine the latest lane change points on each simulation lane between the first simulation lane and the side simulation lane; from the first simulation lane until changing lanes to the side simulation lane, for the simulation lane on which the target virtual vehicle is currently driving: determine the distance between the current position of the target virtual vehicle and the latest lane change point on the currently driven simulation lane; and update the current first preset duration in a negative correlation with the aggressiveness and the distance.

[0154] In a possible implementation, the vehicle simulation control device further includes a lane change cancellation module 760, and the lane change cancellation module 760 includes: a monitoring sub-module, configured to continuously monitor the first distance between the target virtual vehicle and the leading vehicle in the second simulation lane and the second distance between the target virtual vehicle and the following vehicle in the second simulation lane during the lane change operation; a cancellation sub-module, configured to cancel the current lane change operation and control the target virtual vehicle to return to the first simulation lane before performing the lane change operation in the case of monitoring at least one of that the first distance is less than the first preset safety distance and the second distance is less than the second preset safety distance; and an indication sub-module, configured to indicate the judgment module to re-judge whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied after the time elapsed after controlling the target virtual vehicle to return to the first simulation lane before performing the lane change operation reaches the fourth preset duration.

[0155] Therefore, through the above reference Figure 7The described vehicle simulation control device introduces a lane change cooling period with a first preset duration as the waiting time between consecutive lane changes of the vehicle. When the vehicle is in the lane change cooling period, the computer device does not make a decision on whether the vehicle can change lanes. Thus, when there are a large number of simulated vehicles, the computing efficiency can be greatly improved. In addition, by setting a maximum waiting time with a third preset duration, the lane change judgment can be abandoned if the lane change does not start after this maximum waiting time, and the vehicle can wait again (the second preset duration, which can be equal to the first preset duration), thereby further improving the computing efficiency. In addition, a cancel lane change cooling period with a fourth preset duration is also introduced, which can also improve the operation efficiency of the simulation. At the same time, when setting time parameters such as the lane change cooling period, the maximum waiting time, and the cancel lane change cooling period, a parameter representing the aggressiveness of the target virtual vehicle is also introduced, and it is also considered whether it is an active lane change or a passive lane change. Thus, during the simulation process, the differences in the lane change process that may be caused by driver driving differences and the necessity of lane change can be taken into account, thereby reducing the difference between the simulation result and the actual application, and further improving the simulation performance.

[0156] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer device is also provided.

[0157] Figure 8 The structural block diagram of a computer device 800 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0158] Refer to Figure 8 , the computer device 800 can be the computer device 10 as described in reference Figure 1C . The computer device 800 includes a processor, a memory, a network interface, an input device, and a display screen connected through a system bus. Among them, the memory includes a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium of this terminal stores an operating system and can also store a computer program. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the processor can implement various operations described in each step of the vehicle simulation control method as described in the previous reference Figure 3A-3C . The internal memory can also store a computer program. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the processor can execute the same various operations described in each step of the vehicle simulation control method.

[0159] For example, these operations may include: controlling a target virtual vehicle to travel on a first simulation lane in a simulation area, where the simulation area includes at least two simulation lanes in the same direction; calculating the duration experienced by the target virtual vehicle after the end of the most recent lane change; in response to the duration reaching a first preset duration, determining whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied; and in the case where it is determined that the lane change control condition is satisfied, controlling the target virtual vehicle to change lanes from the first simulation lane to an adjacent second simulation lane. More operations and specific details can be referred to the descriptions of the respective steps of the vehicle simulation control method for Figure 3A-3C described above.

[0160] A processor may be an integrated circuit chip with the ability to process signals. The above-mentioned processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the various methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc., and may be of the X74 architecture or the ARM architecture.

[0161] The non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or a flash memory. It should be noted that the memory of the method described in the present disclosure is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0162] The display screen of the computer device may be a liquid crystal display screen or an electronic ink display screen. The input device of the terminal may be a touch layer covered on the display screen, or a button, a trackball or a touchpad provided on the terminal housing, or may also be an external keyboard, a touchpad or a mouse, etc.

[0163] Those skilled in the art should be able to realize that in one or more of the above examples, the functions described in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these functions can be stored in a computer device-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer device-readable medium. The computer device-readable medium includes a computer device storage medium and a communication medium, where the communication medium includes any medium that facilitates the transmission of a computer device program from one place to another. The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer device.

[0164] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product or a computer program, which includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer instructions, so that the computer device executes the vehicle simulation control method provided in various alternative implementations of the above aspect.

[0165] It should be noted that the flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architectures, functions, and operations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, a program segment, or a part of code, and the module, the program segment, or the part of code includes at least one executable instruction for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order than that marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks shown may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagram and / or flowchart, and the combination of blocks in the block diagram and / or flowchart, may be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system for performing the specified functions or operations, or may be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0166] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure described in detail above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications and combinations can be made to these embodiments or their features without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure, and such modifications should fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A vehicle simulation control method, comprising: Controlling a target virtual vehicle to travel on a first simulation lane in a simulation area, the simulation area including at least two simulation lanes in the same direction; Calculating the duration experienced by the target virtual vehicle after the end of the most recent lane change; In response to the duration reaching a first preset duration, determining whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied, wherein the first preset duration is determined based on the lane change type and the aggressiveness corresponding to the target virtual vehicle; the aggressiveness is used to measure the aggressiveness or conservativeness of the driver of the target virtual vehicle; the lane change type is determined based on whether the driving path for the target virtual vehicle to complete the driving goal includes a specific position on the road, and the lane change type includes an active lane change and a passive lane change; wherein, in the case where the driving path does not include the specific position, the lane change type is an active lane change; in the case where the driving path includes the specific position, within a road section that is a distance threshold away from the specific position along the road direction, the lane change type of the target virtual vehicle's lane change is a passive lane change, and outside the road section along the road direction, the lane change type of the target virtual vehicle's lane change is an active lane change; and In the case where it is determined that the lane change control condition is satisfied, controlling the target virtual vehicle to change lanes from the first simulation lane to an adjacent second simulation lane.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In the case where it is determined that the lane change control condition is not satisfied, repeatedly determining whether the lane change control condition is satisfied at a preset interval until a termination judgment preset condition is reached or it is determined that the lane change control condition is satisfied, and In the case where the termination judgment preset condition has been reached, waiting for a second preset duration and then re-determining whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied, the second preset duration being the same as or different from the first preset duration, wherein the preset interval is less than or equal to the first preset duration and the second preset duration.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: Determining the aggressiveness corresponding to the target virtual vehicle; Determining the lane change type according to the path planning; And Determining the first preset duration based on the aggressiveness and the lane change type.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The specific position includes a diverging lane entrance, a turning intersection, or a U-turn position, and the target virtual vehicle must reach a corresponding specific position via a side simulation lane, where the side simulation lane is the same as or different from the first simulation lane.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein Determining the first preset duration based on the aggressiveness and the lane change type includes: In the case where the lane change type is an active lane change, setting the first preset duration negatively correlated with the aggressiveness.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein, Determining the first preset duration based on the aggressiveness and the lane change type includes: in the case where the lane change type is a passive lane change, Determining the side simulation lane corresponding to the nearest specific position according to the path planning; When the side simulation lane is different from the first simulation lane on which the target virtual vehicle is currently traveling, determine the first simulation lane and the latest lane change points on each simulation lane between the first simulation lane and the side simulation lane; Starting from the first simulation lane until changing lanes to the side simulation lane, for the simulation lane on which the target virtual vehicle is currently traveling: Determine the distance of the current position of the target virtual vehicle from the latest lane change point on the currently traveled simulation lane; and Update the current first preset duration in a manner negatively correlated with the aggressiveness and positively correlated with the distance.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Judge whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied, including: Judge whether an instruction to control the target virtual vehicle to change lanes from the first simulation lane to the second simulation lane is received; and Obtain a first distance between the target virtual vehicle and the leading vehicle in the second simulation lane and a second distance between the target virtual vehicle and the following vehicle in the second simulation lane, and judge whether the first distance is greater than a first preset safety distance and whether the second distance is greater than a second preset safety distance.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein The termination judgment preset conditions include one of the following: After a preset number of judgments, and it is judged that the lane change control condition is not satisfied in all cases; and Repeating the judgment of whether the lane change control condition is satisfied at a preset interval has passed a third preset duration.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Continuously monitor the first distance between the target virtual vehicle and the leading vehicle in the second simulation lane and the second distance between the target virtual vehicle and the following vehicle in the second simulation lane during the lane change operation; In the case of monitoring that at least one of the first distance is less than the first preset safety distance and the second distance is less than the second preset safety distance, cancel this lane change operation, and control the target virtual vehicle to return to the first simulation lane before performing the lane change operation; And After the time elapsed after controlling the target virtual vehicle to return to the first simulation lane before performing the lane change operation reaches a fourth preset duration, re-judge whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied.

10. The method according to claim 3, wherein, Determine the aggressiveness corresponding to the target virtual vehicle, including: Obtain the virtual attributes of the target virtual vehicle, where the virtual attributes include at least one of the driver's reaction time, familiarity with the road conditions, psychological factors, age, gender, vehicle type, location area, and travel purpose; and Based on the virtual attributes of the target virtual vehicle, determine the aggressiveness corresponding to the target virtual vehicle.

11. A vehicle simulation control device, comprising: A driving control module for controlling a target virtual vehicle to travel on a first simulation lane in a simulation area, where the simulation area includes at least two simulation lanes in the same direction; A timing module for calculating the duration experienced by the target virtual vehicle after the end of the most recent lane change; A judgment module, configured to determine whether a lane-changing control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied in response to the duration reaching a first preset duration, where the first preset duration is determined based on a lane-changing type and an aggressiveness level corresponding to the target virtual vehicle; the aggressiveness level is used to measure the aggressiveness or conservativeness of the driver of the target virtual vehicle; the lane-changing type is determined based on whether a specific position of a road is included in a driving path for the target virtual vehicle to achieve a driving goal, and the lane-changing type includes an active lane change and a passive lane change; where, when the driving path does not include the specific position, the lane-changing type is an active lane change; when the driving path includes the specific position, the lane-changing type of the target virtual vehicle's lane change within a road section that is at a distance threshold from the specific position along the road direction is a passive lane change, and the lane-changing type of the target virtual vehicle's lane change outside the road section along the road direction is an active lane change; and A control lane-changing module, configured to control the target virtual vehicle to change lanes from the first simulation lane to an adjacent second simulation lane when it is determined that the lane-changing control condition is satisfied.

12. The vehicle simulation control device according to claim 11, wherein the judgment module is further configured to: When it is determined that the lane-changing control condition is not satisfied, repeatedly determine whether the lane-changing control condition is satisfied at a preset interval until a termination judgment preset condition is reached or it is determined that the lane-changing control condition is satisfied, and When the termination judgment preset condition has been reached, wait for a second preset duration and then re-determine whether the lane-changing control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied, where the second preset duration is the same as or different from the first preset duration, Among them, The preset interval is less than or equal to the first preset duration and the second preset duration.

13. The vehicle simulation control device according to claim 12, further comprising a determination module, where the determination module includes: An aggressiveness level determination sub-module, configured to determine the aggressiveness level corresponding to the target virtual vehicle; A lane-changing type determination sub-module, configured to determine the lane-changing type according to path planning, where the lane-changing type includes an active lane change and a passive lane change; And A duration determination sub-module, configured to determine the first preset duration based on the aggressiveness level and the lane-changing type.

14. A computer device, characterized in that, The computer device includes a processor and a memory, and at least one instruction, at least one program, a code set, or an instruction set is stored in the memory, and the at least one instruction, the at least one program, the code set, or the instruction set is loaded and executed by the processor to implement the following operations: Control the target virtual vehicle to drive on a first simulation lane in a simulation area, where the simulation area includes at least two simulation lanes in the same direction; Calculate the duration experienced by the target virtual vehicle after the most recent lane change ends; In response to the duration reaching a first preset duration, it is determined whether the lane change control condition of the target virtual vehicle is satisfied, where the first preset duration is determined based on the lane change type and the aggressiveness corresponding to the target virtual vehicle; the aggressiveness is used to measure the aggressiveness or conservativeness of the driver of the target virtual vehicle; the lane change type is determined based on whether the driving path for the target virtual vehicle to complete the driving goal includes a specific position on the road, and the lane change type includes active lane change and passive lane change; among them, when the driving path does not include the specific position, the lane change type is an active lane change; when the driving path includes the specific position, the lane change type of the target virtual vehicle within a road section that is at a distance threshold from the specific position along the road direction is a passive lane change, and the lane change type of the target virtual vehicle outside the road section along the road direction is an active lane change; and When it is determined that the lane change control condition is satisfied, control the target virtual vehicle to change lanes from the first simulation lane to the adjacent second simulation lane.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, At least one instruction, at least one program, a code set or an instruction set is stored in the storage medium, and the at least one instruction, the at least one program, the code set or the instruction set is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the vehicle simulation control method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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